S10.E13: Whanex?

[paulvdb]

While preparing a presentation for his students about their future goals, Cam must also contend with a bully at the school and Jay is having a little technical trouble during his video conference. Meanwhile, the local mall is holding a photo shoot for its new ad campaign and Gloria tricks Phil and Joe into participating.

Airdate: January 23, 2019

[CleoCaesar]

Okay, I actually liked this one. Felt early seasons-ish, and no one was too obnoxious for a change. It was well-paced and everyone got something to do. It was the perfect amount of all the kids – a few lines, but no separate storylines.

Phil and Gloria play well off each other and I've always liked their scenes together in previous seasons: shopping for shoes and pretending Gloria was his wife to impress his old rival, going to her old hairdressing job, them being cast as extras for a commercial that they were awful at, etc. The last shot of them, Gloria as the college student and Phil with the creepy blinding white teeth, was sweet.

And Cam and Mitch weren't sniping for a change. Although I did a double take when Mitch shouted at the principal "We're in a committed relationship!". Uh, you're married. Just say that.

Who knew it was that easy becoming vice principal of a big public high school in LA? Oh well, this show has never portrayed any careers realistically.

[WhosThatGirl]

I really have nothing to say on this

episode. I’m not sure if that’s good or bad.

[quangtran]

Maybe my standards have dropped due to me hating last week's so much, but I liked that and I thought it was cute. I should have predicted where it was going, but I chuckled when the  two successful kids and two burnout kids walked out on stage. I'm glad Glora has finally concidered a career again, because it seemed like she was content to be a trophy wife for most of the series. I can't help but like the photoshoot storyline because it played out almost exactly like MF plot I envisioned in my head, where the Dunphy family are act as stock models for a real estate campaign.

[BusyOctober]

This show has never been very close to reality in regard to actual family life, careers, relationships, so I try not to get too iratated when something really nonsensical gets thrown in.  However I can't let this one go...Mitch has to make ONE HUNDRED cupcakes in ONE HOUR?  In his one oven kitchen?  Nope.  

Also not a fan of the "smart closet" gimmick with Jay & Phil thinking Claire was actually speaking to them.  Seemed like an obvious choice.  

I did like Phil's ultra white teeth at the end.

Edited January 24, 2019 by BusyOctober

[Whimsy]

5 hours ago, BusyOctober said:

This show has never been very close to reality in regard to actual family life, careers, relationships, so I try not to get too iratated when something really nonsensical gets thrown in.  However I can't let this one go...Mitch has to make ONE HUNDRED cupcakes in ONE HOUR?  In his one oven kitchen?  Nope.  

 

I know, right?  I have a moderate side-business as a cupcake baker and I've NEVER been able to make 100 in an hour and I can crank them out pretty fast.  Mixing it all together is easy, but no matter what you do you can't make them bake faster. 

[Suzn]

Something felt different with this episode.  It was like they were wrapping things up.  I know that another season is expected, but not finalized, so it just seemed odd.  Not much egregious happened, but not particularly enjoyable either.

[Aryanna]

I liked Jay and Claire's story line the best.

I don't really expect anything to come of Gloria taking real estate classes. I assume it'll be forgotten about by next week.

There's been so many times in the past when characters have been provided the opportunity to take on new challenges and grow but the writers at MF seem to want to keep everything the same and not change anything up. I would have liked to have seen Gloria grow over the years and do something like this. I would've like to have seen Haley and Andy end up together because they wanted to and loved each other not because they felt like they had to because she got pregnant. I would've like to have seen Alex become a real character and have a bf that she clicks with and brings out the best in her as opposed to all the boyfriends that she's been embarrassed about like her mom's secretary or the high school kid or the dumb fireman. They've made her into a sadsack loser. What happened to Alex playing cello in a hipster band and having self confidence? That lasted barely an episode.

Edited January 24, 2019 by Aryanna

[Caseysgirl]

I agree that they have not done a lot of positive things  with Alex’s character. We all know that under those big glasses and unflattering clothes,there is a beautiful girl,so why not encourage young women who have a brain to be proud of their accomplishments by having a role model who is not unlikeable and a total loser in everything except school work.  Wh not a makeover and a boyfriend worthy of her. She can still be as sarcastic and brilliant as ever.

[Enigma X]

After Phil, Alex is my favorite character. I never knew that she was considered unlikable. 

[possibilities]

I also didn't know she was considered ugly.

[Enigma X]

5 minutes ago, possibilities said:

I also didn't know she was considered ugly.

Even without the body-fitting clothing, I have always found her beautiful. Different strokes...

[tennisgurl]

The lengths they go to try and make Alex look homely are 90s teen movie nerd levels of ridiculous, and they still cant hide the fact that Ariel is a lovely young woman. I even think she is just as, if not more, pretty than sexy sex pot Haley. I hope she is still dating hot fireman guy off screen somewhere. 

I did actually like this episode pretty well, no one was super annoying or OTT, which was a nice change of pace. Mitch and Cam even got a plot where they actually didnt just snip at each other the whole time! 

I always like when Phil and Gloria gets plots together, they are usually a lot of fun. And its nice to see that Claire and Phil are still keeping it fresh!

"...well played."

[Mystery]

7 hours ago, Aryanna said:

What happened to Alex playing cello in a hipster band and having self confidence? That lasted barely an episode.

Yeah, she sang in a Christmas episode and that was it as far as I remember. 

I like Jay and Gloria together, so that was okay. 

[xander874]

18 hours ago, Aryanna said:

I don't really expect anything to come of Gloria taking real estate classes. I assume it'll be forgotten about by next week.

I imagine at some point in the future she will suddenly be a real estate agent, licensed and ready to go. I totally see a plot where she and Phil compete for a sale.

The closet story was  cute and funny, especially the end. I like heartfelt stories that have a bit of silliness to them. But there is no way that was Jay's butt.

[seacliffsal]

I too usually like Gloria and Phil together and this was no exception.  What I really noticed though was that Gloria has toned down her accent.  This is the first time that I really noticed this and it makes sense if she is going to move into real estate.  I also tend to like Gloria with Phil more than Gloria with Jay as they now seem so antagonistic with each other and she is always insisting that she is right about everything.

I just can't with Cam as a vice principal (and I have served as an assistant principal in California).  When did he get his administrative credential?  Where is the interview/application process?  He also demonstrated a lack of initiative by getting his own relatives to be guest speakers at a school symposium rather than get actual speakers.  Great vice principal qualities...  Oh yeah, and actively undermining the principal.  I know it's supposed to be "funny" but it should also make some kind of sense (IMO).  Also, they act like that school has fewer than 60% of the students going on to college and that they can't afford anything.  And yet, that school is located in a really affluent suburb/area as demonstrated by the home and lifestyles of the Dunphys, Pricthards, and their neighbors.  

It feels like they are floundering with Jay's character.  First he's retired, then he's back at work.  One episode he is fairly good with technology, another he has no idea.  

[salmondean]

I liked this episode more than I have the previous couple. Phil and Gloria tend to be very funny and/or sweet in their subplots together, and I thought they made a very cute fake couple in the photoshoot (...and phil was also kind of cute with that rando guy before he was booted out). Sometimes I think that Gloria/Phil would make a better couple than Claire/Phil and Jay/Gloria, especially now that they've really toned done Phil's borderline creepy crush on Gloria from the first couple of seasons that got so tiresome to watch. Now that he's more normal around her and affectionate in a way that feels more appropriate, their scenes are much more charming. 

And as much as it was initially dragged down by the whole "haha old people are too stupid to use technology" thing at the beginning, I thought the Claire and Jay plotline also ended up being pleasant. I agree with seacliffsal that they clearly have no idea what to do with Jay's character anymore, but there were some nice father/daughter moments and I thought the video tape thing was cute. 

As always, I didn't really care for the Cam and Mitchell subplot but  at least we didn't have to watch Haley and Dylan being nonfunctional idiots again this week. 

Also, is it a new thing for the Principal of the school to be a bullying jerk to this extent? I can't remember if there have always been hints of him being that way or if it was just invented for this episode 

[DrSpaceman73]

This was an OK episode. 

As always Phil provides the highlights with his storyline. 

The talking closet was funny.  And the Cristopher Walken closet idea, though failed, is amusing. 

I can easily see Joe the character as a child actor. 

Cam as a vice principle though.......yeah, I agree, just not believable.  They could at least throw in somewhere how he worked to get whatever licensing, college training and credentials you need for that.  Do we even know if he studied education in college? 

[ErinV]

Ok, I laughed out loud at Jay with the bunny filter on the conference call 😆. And I still enjoy the “double click” running joke.

[readster]

On 1/25/2019 at 9:11 AM, seacliffsal said:

I just can't with Cam as a vice principal (and I have served as an assistant principal in California).  When did he get his administrative credential?  Where is the interview/application process?  He also demonstrated a lack of initiative by getting his own relatives to be guest speakers at a school symposium rather than get actual speakers.  Great vice principal qualities...  Oh yeah, and actively undermining the principal.  I know it's supposed to be "funny" but it should also make some kind of sense (IMO).  Also, they act like that school has fewer than 60% of the students going on to college and that they can't afford anything.  And yet, that school is located in a really affluent suburb/area as demonstrated by the home and lifestyles of the Dunphys, Pricthards, and their neighbors.  

 

I just hate when shows do this, especially since I'm in education. I have this problem with Speechless and I have this problem when I see things on American Housewife. They portray administration or schools as complete idiots or they are slaves to people with money. Cam's situation started last year and they didn't explain anything of how he could be a VP or acting. Even though you can just Google it and see what certifications or special vouchers are needed. Even going as far as most schools do "hire within" even if the people aren't the most qualified for it. After the entire sting operation that Cam blew thanks to being 1. Mitch's stupid little speech about it was "impossible" for that thing to happen (which has been going on for years). 2. Cam HAS to make things all about him or the fact that the principal, school board superintendent, would have told him these types of things. Plus, the under cover cop would NOT want attention called to himself by putting the biggest baby on the school staff on the video streaming service. 

  Now, they have Cam acting like he is in the poorest school district and the students are complete idiots who couldn't get a job at McDonalds. Both Alex and Manny's facial expressions were: "What planet are you from?" 

 

Quote

 One episode he is fairly good with technology, another he has no idea.  

Yeah, I'm tired of that too. Gloria has been shown several times to not be able to activate a remote control that isn't working because it needs new batteries. Yet, Gloria smashes it because she can't look and gets accused by everyone they know she broke it. Yet, keeps going: "No, it wasn't me... it was Joe or we had someone steal the remote." Even when being video recorded, she still acts like it wasn't here but her evil twin sister. With Jay, we see him an expert using a Google Mini, but thinks an Amazon Echo is a coffee grinder. He can use an Apple Watch and Facetime, yet can't use a motion sensor sink. Jay can use a Nest system, but then gets freaked out when a toilet automatically flushes when he is zipping up. It's not funny, it's inconsistent on the writers who don't know how to write Jay for a cheap joke. 

[Aryanna]

This show has been inconsistent with so many characters for so long.

Suddenly Cam's a vice principle...to never be heard about again unless it serves some plot point or joke. Kind of like Mitch and his multiple jobs and firings. I never know if he's employed or where he's working. Or like Haley and her starting a fashion website/app...no, she gets paid to go to parties and promote...no she works for a fashion designer...no wait she works for some Gwyneth Paltrow wannabe...she's an adult getting her stuff together...no she's back with Dylan and she's too stupid to tie her shoes. Let's not even get into how inconsistent Alex is and how the pick up and drop storylines with her.

And those are just the inconsistencies I can think of off the top of my head.

[readster]

17 hours ago, Aryanna said:

This show has been inconsistent with so many characters for so long.

Suddenly Cam's a vice principle...to never be heard about again unless it serves some plot point or joke. Kind of like Mitch and his multiple jobs and firings. I never know if he's employed or where he's working. Or like Haley and her starting a fashion website/app...no, she gets paid to go to parties and promote...no she works for a fashion designer...no wait she works for some Gwyneth Paltrow wannabe...she's an adult getting her stuff together...no she's back with Dylan and she's too stupid to tie her shoes. Let's not even get into how inconsistent Alex is and how the pick up and drop storylines with her.

And those are just the inconsistencies I can think of off the top of my head.

Yep, those have been the main ones along with: Jay knows how to use facetime, no wait he doesn't know what an Amazon Echo is. Oh, he can order and subscribe to sausages shipping online, but oh wait why can't he use this damn hand sensor sink? Oh Alex is a geek, no wait she plays in a band and knows how to get her "sexy on" oh no wait, she dresses like she is 65 years old, no wait she wants to dress more "her age" no wait, she thinks her father is naive, no wait she really NEEDS him in her life. 

[TheLastKidPicked]

One thing I have always said about this show-- you can't just have it on in the background, you have to watch it.

A perfect example was Phil stripping down in the closet.  And along comes Jay, discussing how he enjoys people pranking each other.  He walks into the closet and (we assume) sees Phil.  Just that Ed O'Neal delivery of "Well played" to Claire, who had no idea.

Remember when this show had two or three great scenes like that per episode?  I miss those days.